Don't Believe the Hype

It's entirely possible that sending the audience out feeling lousy was intentional

I am only giving this movie a 1 for the great cast, though I can't imagine what any of them were thinking. This movie was horrible

An old-fashioned movie made with new-fashioned finesse.

The DVD is based upon the live act, which is constantly on tour. Because of that the DVD will always be great. Unfortunately, the live show took a turn for the worse today. I just saw the last show in Seattle, and tomorrow they head for Vancouver, B.C.Normally I love the Cirque, but today they made a big mistake. They have replaced their lead character Icarius, previously played by Anton Tchelnokov. I don't know yet if they have found a permanent replacement, but I do hope that it will not be the guy that they had as a stand-in for Anton today. He is dismally lacking the graceful naiveté that made Anton so believable as Icarius.The show is still an awesome experience... especially Kevin and Andrew Atherton's strap act, and the big finale with all of those incredible athletes performing on the Russian Swings. But for anyone who has seen Anton as the original Icarius, any show in the future will always be lacking something: a Russian kid named Anton who was born to play that role.Kevin L ([email protected])

Varekai is much more than just a circus, it tells a story.There are no flaws in the performance, the acts were all done perfectly from the stunning hand balancing by Olga Pikhienko to the astonishing, gripping Icarian Dance.Olga Pikhienko is the best performer in the show, the lead female vocalist Zara Tellander also has a spectacular voice (sung Varekai 831 times)It isn't all perfect however, there will be parts that won't appeal to you but overall I think it will shock you. Not all the acts are brilliant and you can't expect that from anyone.Throughout the show there are no let downs, the music is wonderful although the sound on the DVD does not capture the energy behind it.The DVD does not quite capture the magic of seeing the show live. I have seen many Cirque du Soleil shows and Varekai is for me the best travelling show.It's definitely a must see show.

I saw the entire DVD -AND- I saw it live. Meaning I attend to the theater and saw it live. It's a show more than a movie. It's so amazing too. It's a lot different than the DVD, it's much better live. So, for advice, you shouldn't say you hate it until you've seen the real thing. The acts are very clever and amazing, it nearly defies gravity! Completely AWESOME. The clown acts are funny, too. If it comes to your town, go and see it! You don't have to get front row either, because the theater is somewhat small (unless you are seeing it in Montreal, Quebec.) Unlike other Cirque du Soleil shows, this one REALLY has a story to it, and it's brought out very well. One of the best, a must see!

I absolutely loved Varekai the very first time I saw it. I'll admit that I wasn't much of a fan of the artsy circus world at first, but now I'm totally fascinated with it! The makeup is awesome (and at times can make some of the characters quite sexy!) and the costumes are fabulous! Not to mention the fantastic acrobatics and occasional funny moments. Varekai is by far my favorite of all the Cirque shows. I only wish it could've come here to my hometown. Oh well, I bought it on DVD so I can watch it whenever I want. I even got a few of my co-workers hooked on it. Of course Varekai is their favorite as well! Go figure. I'll make them all Cirque fans if it kills me. All in all I highly recommend it!